Internet Marketing Group’s Blog

Even though the internet is already established, the website design behind it is still evolving. CSS is in it’s second version now, and CSS 3 is out but isn’t supported by majority web browsers yet. When CSS 3 is supported better by web browsers we will see some great tools in the hands of website designers.

Building a website with rounded corners now is not easy and requires a good amount of planning to do them right. CSS 3 will be introducing the ability to apply rounded corners with one line of text saying how big the corners are. This takes the complexity out of something that ideally has no need being complex. This also makes the design much more flexible as changing the corners is as easy as changing the one property.

One property I wish I could use today is opacity. This new feature controls the transparency level of any given item on a website. This allows for great visuals when layering and provides the user a great experience for changing opacity when their mouse moves over the item.

Drop shadows is another design technique that the execution is rather complex to do now. CSS 3 also features the ability to apply a drop shadow to any item using a single line of code. This is also easily modifiable for any changes in the future.

There are many new features being brought to website designers in the next few years (and probably for much longer). They aren’t things that will absolutely change how website design is done, but will allow the designer spend less time on coding and more time on designing and adding polish to the website.

Here’s an example of CSS 3 in use. On the left is using CSS 3 using the capabilities of your current web browsers and the right is an example of what the CSS 3 would look like with full support. So if they don’t look the same it means your web browser doesn’t fully support CSS 3 yet.

#css3-example{float:left;padding:20px;margin-bottom:12px;background:#333;-moz-border-radius:20px;-webkit-border-radius:20px;-webkit-box-shadow:1px 1px 10px #666;text-shadow:1px 1px 3px #000;color:#eee;resize:horizontal;overflow:auto;opacity:0.7;text-align:center;} #css3-example:hover{-webkit-box-shadow:1px 1px 15px #666;opacity:1;} #css3-render{float:left;width:225px;height:80px;background:url(http://www.myinternetmarketinggroup.com/images/blog-images/css3-example.png) no-repeat;background-position:0px -94px;} #css3-render:hover{background-position:0px -10px;}

If you want to have the most up to date web browser you can download Apple Safari. You can also download Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, but they aren’t 100% supported although they come close.

Kurt
Internet Marketing Group
Other Topics of Interest:
Website Design Cedar Rapids

The landing page is the page that your potential customers land on when they click your ad, so you want to make sure that this page matches the text in your ad.  It is almost never a good idea to send people to your home page, because what they are most likely looking for is probably a few click deeper.

Now that you are tracking conversions, you can get a clearer picture as to you how well your pay-per-click advertising is doing.  Are your clicks paying off?  It can be exciting when you are getting a lot of attention for a particular ad that you wrote, but you have to look to see if it is converting.  The same is true with keywords … if a keyword is getting a lot of clicks, it’s costing you money, if it’s making you more money, great!

The trick becomes evaluating all of your keywords and all of your ads.  You hopefully started out with at least ten keywords per ad group (sometimes by design you will only have a couple if it is a very specific ad group) - so how are these words performing?  Usually you can tell at a glance since Google has a Cost Per Conversion column on your Campaign Management page.  It is best to look at this column in terms of the last seven days or even a longer stretch.  It seems like a no-brainer that if the cost per conversion is higher than the revenue gained, you’d pause the keyword, doesn’t it?  Well, it is sometimes difficult to do that when you want to show up for a particular keyword.  This is one of those times when it is advantageous to have an Internet Marketing firm handle your accounts, because there is no emotional attachment, just a response to data.

It’s usually not so cut-and-dry in terms of performance.  The typical scenario is that a company only has a certain amount of money allocated for their Google AdWords budget, so the goal is best bang for the buck and could mean cutting out a keyword or words that may have converted at an acceptable cost in favor or words that have converted at a lower cost.  It rarely comes to this as the first rule is to cut what isn’t converting. Doing this usually cuts the spending enough.

One last note - if you are not seeing any conversions, check to make sure that your tracking code is working.  You do this by running a test and then seeing if it shows up in your conversion column.  It sometimes takes up to 24 hours to show up.  If you have confirmed your conversion tracking, and yet there are still no conversions, you will want to test all of your links and also consider whether your ads are attracting people who are actually looking for your product/service.  Finally, consider whether the problem is your website design.  Once you have people to your site, you only have a few seconds to keep them there, is your site turning them on or off?

It sometimes seems like a lot to figure out and keep track of - but if you take the time to go step by step, it is very doable.  If you don’t have the time, then hire it out.  It is better to spend a little money so have someone in the Internet marketing business get you set up for success, than to flush money because you don’t have the time to do things right.

Mary Jo
Internet Marketing Blog
600 Boyson Road, Suite 200
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402

Other topics of interest:
Cedar Rapids Website Design
Search Engine Optimization Iowa

Everything that has been discussed so far in terms of pay-per-click advertising has been focused on keyword targeting.  This post will provide a brief overview of your other option, placement targeting.

Placement targeting an ad is just as it sounds, when you create the campaign or ad group, you determine the sites where you want your ad to appear within the Google network.  So it works like content match ads in that people don’t see your ad as the result of a search query, they see it on a page they happen to be on that somehow relates to your product.

Creating a placement targeted campaign is almost the same process as creating a keyword targeted campaign.  Begin by clicking create a new campaign.  The drop-down menu will show start with keywords and start with placement - select placements.  You will be led through the process, but when you get to the point when you would normally choose your keywords, you instead choose URLS.  Also, instead of having the opportunity to use the keyword tool for help, you have the assistance placement tool.

With the placement tool you can simply select categories from a list and it eventually shows you URLs for sites related to a specific category.  You can also enter words describing your product and let Google offer you sites that way.  A third option is to enter your URL of choice and let the placement tool offer you more options related to the URL.  The final option is to input a demographic you are targeting and let Google offer suggestions based on what you input.  Once you are done with that, you bid and you are set.

It really is just that easy.  So when would you use this?  You can honestly try it anytime - but it is most useful if you are trying to get the word out on a new product you are offering.  Having your ad on certain very pertinent forums or such sites can be very helpful in this regard.

As in all things Google Adwords related, don’t be afraid to experiment.  Just keep an eye on the cost and the results - you can always pause anything that is not working or is costing too much.

Mary Jo
Internet Marketing Blog
600 Boyson Road, Suite 200
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402

Other topics of interest:
Cedar Rapids Website Design
Search Engine Optimization Iowa

Why do we Google it?” We Google it because we know that we will find what we are looking for quickly when we do a search.   This is not accident.  Google is all about relevancy when it comes to search results.  The same is true for ads.  They strive to make sure that the ads they show are most relevant to the search query, ideally resulting in more clicks for advertisers.

The key factor in how Google determines ad relevance and ranking is the Quality Score. Your Quality Score is based on your mostly on your keyword’s clickthrough rate, and the relevance of your ad text - keyword - and landing page. In other words, Google determines if your ad and keywords meet the standards that they have established to keep their users finding exactly what they are looking for, and fast.

The Quality Score is not static.  It is calculated every time a search query contains your keyword - so you have to remember to frequently monitor your it.  Google makes this part easy.  If you go into you keyword analysis page - this is the page where you see your bids, clicks, clickthrough rates, etc - you will see a magnifiying glass next to your keyword.  When you click on it, you will see your Quality Score along with links you can click on to get more feedback and suggestions from Google.  It’s really that simple.

Your Quality Score determines your cost and your ranking, and a poor score and prevent your ads from appearing, so you’ll definitely want to take the time to go in and see what Google is saying on a regular basis.

Mary Jo
Internet Marketing Blog
600 Boyson Road, Suite 200
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402

Other topics of interest:
Cedar Rapids Website Design
Search Engine Optimization Iowa

Icons hold different meanings for everyone–religion, grouping of
pixels, Marilyn Monroe–even just the name has different definitions. 
No matter the context, though, the best icons become lasting
conventions. Based on our hieroglyphic-reading ancestors, we still
dependent upon these visual messages, and especially so when it comes
to our computers.

Just like a photograph, icons can represent a multitude of words. 
They’re especially important in wayfinding design because they’re quick
and memorable.  They can evoke action in ways that words can’t.

In website design,
we’re looking to assist our viewers in the same way and for many of the
same reasons.  Icons can help websites by not only creating action and
user-response, but also by creating a cleaner, more professional user
interface aiding in usability.

Selecting and using icons should be done with care. 
Oversimplification, or complex metaphors won’t read to your viewers
like they should and can be more misleading than helpful.  The icon
should work without accompanying text, and suggest the primary purpose
of the action.

Avoid icons that contain:

• Extra Information (Like the name of the program, version of program, etc.)
• Name Suggestions (Snail for Physical mail address)
• Body Parts (Hands, noses, eyes can be offensive depending on culture)
• Word Puns (A tree stump meaning Data Log–again, cultural differences/language translation issues)
• Violent or Destructive imagery (If your audience is afraid to click
  it, what’s the point of having a program/website/contact form at all?)

Great opportunities for conventional icons that can help your viewers include:

• Home
• Print
• Save
• Document Types (Adobe PDF, Word, Excel Spreadsheet)
• Search
• Cart
• RSS Feed
• Contact
• Next Page/Item
• Previous Page/Item
• Exit

If you tried to click on any of the above–Great! That means they’re
working. There are also a lot of “fun over function” icons out there,
so in choosing carefully, think about the meaningful icons that you use
every day to decide whether or not they might be a helpful addition to
your next website design project.

Icons shown here are from the FamFamFam Silk Icon Set, the Pinvoke.com Fugue Set, and the Reality Set at Deviant Art.

Clarissa
Internet Marketing Group Blog

Other Topics of Interest:

• Cedar Rapids Website Design

What factors influence the look and feel of a webpage?  The many answers might seem obvious, but above all else, it should be the message.  Often, people get caught up in the possibilities for conveying the message, and it gets miscommunicated or lost entirely.

For example, when social media networking first hit the scene and there were all kinds of new gizmos to integrate, everyone wanted them all.  News aggregators, counters, message walls, playlists, and photo albums were added to websites and they all came with ads and colors to impede on clarity and confuse target audiences.

As our hyper-speed, mobile internet is changing every day, maintaining clarity means an endeavor of things that can seem mostly unrelated like color theory, load times, brand image, grid patterns, user behavior, and content management.  All of these things influence the other in how the user interacts with them which effectively whittles the mold for successful designs.  However, they also add a bulk of options and opportunities for less-than-effective user experience.

Of course there are trends and personal aesthetic tastes, but basically, what will successfully sell or educate is a well-balanced, functional, and positive environment. You can have a busy website packed full of style and imagery as contradictory as it sounds, and if it’s well organized in a functional way, it will work.  But, all you really need is a clearly stated purpose with adequate information and an easily-navigable interface.  Some great sociological studies and web usability books (like this one) have taught us here at Internet Marketing Group that people just need to get what they’re expecting to see when they’re expecting to see it, and maybe also be a little bit pleasantly surprised.

Clarissa
Internet Marketing Group Blog

Other Topics of Interest:

• Cedar Rapids Website Design

In Part 1, I mentioned that Google only allows one exclamation point per ad.  This is but one of many rules Google has, not to make it difficult for advertisers, but to protect the experience of the the user.  I will use this post to summarize more of the AdWords Editorial Policies.

The first few policies I am going to hit concern the appearance of your ads. There must be correct spacing between words and words must be spelled correctly. Also, no “text speak” such as substituting “U” for “you.”  ALL CAPS is also not allowed though you can capitalize the first letter of each word.  Another no-no is repeating words for emphasis.  Obviously, inappropriate language either in the ad or in the Display URL will get your ad rejected too.

The next few policies deal the content of your ads.  First, don’t lie.  If you are advertising a special offer, make sure it can be found on your site. Next, if you claim to be the best or #1, you have to back it up in the ad with third party verification. You can say “Voted #1 By ….” but you can’t say “Best Ice Cream in the World”  Finally, if you claim to be better that your competition, you have to specifically back up your claim on your landing page.  This can be done with a table, a chart, or simply bullet points showing how you are better.

If you simply keep in mind that the content of your add should be honest and should be what draws attention, you’ll do well.

Mary Jo
Internet Marketing Blog
600 Boyson Road, Suite 200
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402

Other topics of interest:
Cedar Rapids Website Design

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